Customize Your Knitting

by Margaret Hubert

Personalize any knitting pattern by using your unique measurements to make a perfect fit and changing design details to suit your style.Designers have to create knitting patterns in standard sizes, but very few people actually match up to those “average” measurements. Body shapes vary, weight fluctuates, and good fit means different things to different people; so what is a knitter to do?Customize Your Knitting teaches you how to adjust standard patterns to fit your unique measurements. Through techniques that Margaret Hubert has used for years to teach classes on custom fitting, you can learn to adjust patterns for a perfect fit for yourself or someone else. Yarn shop instructors can use the book to teach classes for their customers.However, fit is just one part of customizing a garment. Maybe you’d like that neckline a little higher, or you’d like a little flare to the sleeves. How about adding subtle shaping to the waist on a boxy but otherwise perfect sweater pattern? How about adding a polo-style button placket to that plain crew-neck sweater? Or add a sporty buttoned pocket to a sleeve for carrying your iPhone. It’s easy to add your personal style with Margaret’s tips.Diagrams and illustrations throughout the book will help you understand body shapes and easily compare measurements. Garment construction, specific increases, decreases, and other shaping methods, as well as finishing techniques and embellishments are all explained and photographed clearly. Make every project perfectly tailored to you!

Genres: Reference, Knitting

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2016

About the author

From her Ravelry Profile: I have been knitting and crocheting forever. I am a mother and grandmother, and a great grandmother. I design, teach, and write books. My first book was published in 1978, and I just completed my 19th book In addition to the books, I have 2 independently produced video’s/dvd’s, and 3 self published entrelac crochet patterns. My flicker name is MHDesigner. I love it all!

I am a member of the CGOA, The Happily Hooked on Crochet chapter in CT, and a member of The Big Apple Knitters in New York City.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the end of the day, I don't like any of the four sweater patterns Hubert shows, though ultimately I did find some helpful tips. Hubert's method relies on four "body types" (rectangle, triangle, inverted triangle, hourglass) and how to customize patterns to, well, make any body type look like an hourglass. Personally, I don't care for that theory of dress.

However, some of the tips Hubert offers are quite practical. If your sweater shoulders are stretched out, she suggests sewing lace tape or crocheting along the seams to help the garment retain its shape. She shows how to add pockets, zippers, and appliqués. The four patterns are presented with four different variations, resulting in sixteen different options. They are all incredibly busy all-over stitch patterns, and most of the variations add only more detail.

Yet, what I was really hoping for were more tips on shaping besides increase/decrease at the waist. The way she offers waist decreases is odd to me, sudden shaping for 2 inches and not gradual shaping to change the overall garment shape. What about shaping at the bust, shoulders, hips? Only one of these is partially addressed (the easiest option--a few increases to add room in the hips).

All four patterns are identical styles of garment construction. I would have preferred at least one top-down, seamless project. Ideally, I'd have liked to see one simple stockinette sweater pattern where shaping is easy to do and see, to demonstrate the theory of shaping in knitting. Four busy patterns where, to be quite frank, the shaping was not noticeable was not very helpful for me.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure there are some good ideas in this book - but lordy, there are some butt-ugly sweaters too. The point is that one can customize - in this interpretation, it would seem that it means add frou frou and lace and flowers. Not my taste.